Author: Lea

Paws Give Me Purpose Inc. does not rescue for politics, fortune, or fame. We give the abused, neglected and the most unwanted souls a life; a chance to be loved, cherished and to learn that not all humans are unkind. 

The work we do here is not glamorous nor is it for the faint of heart, but it is truly the most rewarding part of canine rescue to us.

We are a licensed State of NJ, no-kill, cage free Sanctuary. All of the dogs in our care live in a home setting. At Paws Give Me Purpose, care is provided 24/7. Our mission, to provide a bridge of care that supports senior, hospice and special needs dogs so they can live their lives to the fullest for no matter how long they are with us. 

We work closely with our Veterinary team to maintain a good quality of life for our Sanctuary residents and while we may often deal with heartbreak, helping dogs who no one else stepped up for during their time of need – the lives of those who otherwise would not have been is a part of our purpose.

Our days are filled with back-breaking hard work, painfully dry and cracked hands, moments of happiness, sadness and every emotion in between. In truth, this is emotionally painful work and truly takes people with special hearts. 

100% of all donations, big and small, goes directly toward the care of our Sanctuary residents; no one here gets paid, and not one penny is used toward operational expenses including maintenance of the building – we pay for all those expenses out of our own pockets. 

And Although our staff is dedicated and knowledgeable, extra helping hands and hearts are necessary for the important work in which we are involved and our volunteers are the best of the best – some of the most special people in the world. How could they not be especially when the dogs that come through our doors are extra special themselves.

“Volunteers do not necessarily have the time; they just have the heart.” – Elizabeth Andrew

Pictured above is one of our newest Sanctuary residents Jasmine. And although we have not had the chance to formally introduce her Sanctuary arrival, we can tell you she is so very special and deserving of this second chance at life. Stay tuned for her official arrival post. 

As our beloved Freddie continues to give us dirty looks for grooming and bathing him this morning, he wants to wish you a marvelous Monday. 

For Freddie, Paws Give Me Purpose Sanctuary is home. A place where he can be himself and not be misunderstood. A place where he has learned that not all humans are unkind and he doesn’t have to bite us all for touching him. 

His nickname here at the Sanctuary is actually “gums of steel”, a term of endearment he earned for his very strong bite even without teeth.

Freddie does not like humans, especially being touched by humans; we can only imagine his painful past. He has called our Sanctuary home for almost 2 years now and in that time he has learned to trust and tolerate what is necessary for his comfort care. 

Despite his distrust of humans, Freddie just loves other dogs, is always one of the first to welcome new residents and has many doggie friends which makes his world a very happy place. 

For Freddie to live out his days, this is what we do here at Paws Give Me Purpose. 

It is with the deepest sadness that we inform you all of the passing of our beloved Sanctuary resident, Shaggy. Shaggy left this world peacefully, on his own terms, in his sleep. He was surrounded by his doggie family knowing nothing but love, compassion, and kindness in his final days.

Shaggy was by far one of THE sweetest dogs to enter our Sanctuary doors; and while all the dogs in our care bring us something special, there was just something more special about Shaggy. We will never be able to understand why anyone could have ever abandoned this sweet soul, but we consider ourselves lucky to have been the recipients of his unconditional love.

He had the sweetest, most gentle demeanor and everyone loved him – human and dog alike. He was a great cuddler, and just loved being present for everything; most especially snack time. And even though he could not see, he would look up at Sanctuary mom in the most adoring way; it was almost as if he could see her, for he only looked at her this way.

Shaggy arrived at our Sanctuary in November of 2023. His history is a total mystery since he was found as a stray, but the shelter felt he still had some life left to live and reached out to us for help. We knew his time with us was going to be short but his life mattered and he deserved to leave this world with dignity and not behind shelter walls.

Shaggy was blind, with a host of medical and cognitive issues that were pretty severe, yet nothing ever seemed to bother him. He truly lived his life here to the fullest, enjoyed every moment and always showed us his gratitude daily.

While our purpose is to give dogs like Shaggy their best lives daily, unconditionally, for as long as they are with us, Shaggy had a purpose too. He taught us to never give up even when things are really tough. A part of Shaggy’s cognitive issues would occasionally cause him to cross his front legs while running around and he would basically trip over himself and fall down, but he’d immediately hop back up and continue on his way like nothing happened with literally a little smile on his face.

Just when we would fear the worst, Shaggy would show us over and over again just how much he wanted to fight for the life he deserved. His will to live was simply amazing and we can only hope his time with us here in Sanctuary is what he will forever remember as the best days of his life.

With every loss we face here at PGMP Sanctuary, our hearts break a little bit more and Shaggy took a huge piece of everyone’s heart with him.

You will always live on in our hearts Shaggy – you were taken too soon. We were blessed to have known and been able to love you with our whole hearts!

Thank you to each and every one of our followers and supporters for kindness, prayers and donations toward Shaggy’s supportive care. We truly could not do any of this without you.